CASE STUDY: CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IN THE FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE
WEB DESIGN FOR NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AT PACE UNIVERSITY
I.
Contributors’ names and contact information
Darren Hayes
CIS Coordinator and Assistant Professor, Technology Systems Department
dhayes@pace.edu
Pauline Mosley (main contact)
Associate Professor, Technology Systems Department
pmosley@pace.edu
Phone: 914-773-3986; Fax: 914-773-3533
Andrea Taylor
Assistant Professor, Technology Systems Department
ataylor@pace.edu
Seidenberg School of Computer Science & Information Systems
PACE UNIVERSITY
861 Bedford Road, Room 322
Goldstein Academic Center
Pleasantville, NY 10570
II.
Institutional Description
Pace University, a four-year private institution, participates in Project Pericles, an
initiative that includes nine other colleges and universities. Project Pericles, funded by the
Eugene M. Lang Foundation, is a national initiative whose goal is to dissipate feelings of
political alienation and apathy expressed by the youth of today. "Project Pericles challenges the
ten participating institutions to adopt a transforming educational agenda—one that integrates
education for socially responsible citizenship into institutional cultures” (2006). Pace University
seeks to fulfill its mission of opportunitas (opportunity) by collaborating across constituencies,
both internal and external, thereby creating an “engaged campus.” Furthermore, Pace is
presently one of the only institutions in the U.S. where all students must take a three-credit civic
engagement course as part of the core curriculum.
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Pace University's has three campuses in New York, Pleasantville, and White Plains, NY.
The New York City and Pleasantville campuses consist of both commuter and residential
students. The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) undergraduate students, campus-wide, is
6,007 (comprised of 951 first-year students). Table 1 provides a detailed breakdown of the
student population.
Table 1. Pace University FTE Student Population
Pace University FTE Student Population
2006
Student Type
Residential
Commuter
Total
First-Year
787
164
951
Total Students
2,386
3,621
6,007
III. Web Design for Non-Profit Organizations
In the spring of 2004, The Ivan G. Seidenberg School of Computer Science and
Information Systems teamed up with NYC2012, the organization established to promote the
selection of New York City, as the venue for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, to realize the
Nations of New York (NoNY) project. NoNY is an effort on the part of the City’s international
nonprofit community to rally behind this bid. This partnership resulted in the course offering of
Web Design for Non-Profit Organizations to all first-year students. “First-year students” are
students who have earned fewer than 33 college credits or, if they have earned more than 33
college credits, they have completed college courses while enrolled in high school. Students
enrolled in this course, taught on both the New York and Pleasantville campuses, developed over
200 web sites, using web design template software. This helped these multi-cultural non-profit
organizations broadcast their support for the 2012 Olympics. This model was in place for a year
and upon New York losing the bid, faculty teaching this course began to modify the course as
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well as develop working relationships with various community agencies, in which students
would carry out their civic learning assignments.
Course Structure
Students entering this course must have completed our Introduction to Computing course
or have taken an equivalent course. In the introductory course, students learn to create websites
using HTML. Moreover, they also learn JavaScript to incorporate dynamic elements into their
sites. This course provides a strong foundation for freshmen to excel in the Web Design for NonProfit Organizations. Upon completion of the Web design course, students should be able to
demonstrate knowledge of the following:
o
o
o
o
o
Principles of effective site design
Knowledge and use of professional Web design applications
Understanding of Web and Internet technologies
Community service partner user requirements
The role of our partner in the community and the importance of the site to their
organizational goals
o Web development team roles and responsibilities
o Project management and effective client collaboration
o Enhance presentation and communication skills
Students are required to develop a web site for a non-profit organization, in the local
community. In fulfillment of the course requirements, students obtain a real-world experience.
Thus, by the completion of the course, the community group has an online presence. Case
studies or simulations cannot offer students the same experience of dealing with the political,
social, and ethical problems that exist in a workplace (Lazar & Preece, 1999).
The course consists of three components: web programming, analysis and design, and
web usability. Topics, such as cascading style sheets, HTML coding, web development life
cycle, usability testing, and a WYSIWYG web design application, such as FrontPage, are
covered. In the analysis and design portion of the course, students determine the needs of the
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organization, examine pre-existing documentation, and gather requirements. The web usability
component covers issues, such as page layout, navigation between pages, color issues, and
browser compatibility.
Civic Learning Models
The course structure lends itself to a myriad of flexible models of civic engagement.
Currently, the course is taught using one of three models (see Table 2). Each model is centered
on a civic learning project that requires a student to complete a minimum of 15 hours of
community service and submit a reflective journal at the end of the semester. This actively
engaging civic experience goes beyond the textbook, classroom, and subject matter while raising
the level of digital inclusion.
Table 2. Civic Learning Models
Model
Model One
Model Two
Model Three
Description
A team of 3-4 students work on designing and developing a web site
throughout the semester. The team has a project leader, web designer
and web consultants (two consultants for a team of four).
Two teams of 3-4 students work on designing and developing a web
site and the non-profit organization selects which team meets their
requirements.
The entire class designs and develops a web site for one non-profit
organization.
IV. Assessment Methods/Results
Assessment Objectives
The project consists of several rubrics, which measure the impact of the civic engagement
experience on community agency partners and students. Moreover, these rubrics measure the
pedagogical effectiveness of civic teaching models, as well as the web design skill set of the
students.
Assessment of the Community Partners
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At the end of the semester, data is collected from the community partner using a variety
of methods, including personal interviews, interviews via telephone and surveys. The purpose is
to gain an objective view of how effective we were to the community in creating a web site.
Table 3 shows a sample of community agency responses to interviews and surveys which Pace
conducted. A total of 30 agencies responded and Table 4 summarizes the relative frequency of
the responses by the participants. Figure 1 illustrates why 93% of the agencies are satisfied with
the web sites.
(a)
(b)
Figure 1. Comparing the original (a) and redesigned (b) Arts in Education Web sites.
Table 3. Community Agencies Profile for Respondents of Interviews and Surveys
Agency
Animal Shelters
Arts
Day Care Centers
Education
Name
Yonkers Animal Shelter
Shelter Pet Alliance
Peekskill Arts Council
Greenburgh Central 7 Arts Program
Westchester Philharmonic
Hudson Theatre Group
Union Day Care Center
Progressive Steps For Life
Ossining Children’s Center
Yonkers Community Action Center
Highview Elementary School
R.J. Bailey School
Pace Welcome Center
Opportunity Center
Woodlands Math Department
Greenburgh PTA
Percentage
6.7%
Sample Size
n=2
13.3%
n=4
13.3%
n=4
30.0%
n=9
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Nursing Homes
Social Services
Youth Services
Greenburgh Technology Department
School Choice Department
Teacher Center for Westchester
Westchester Center for Rehab & Nursing
United Hebrew Geriatric Center
Department of Senior Programs and Services
Child Abuse Prevention Center
Family Service Society of Yonkers
Martin Luther King Commission
The Hartsdale Fire Department
Tomorrow’s Leaders
Volunteer Center – United Way
Jewish Council of Yonkers
Rye Youth Council
Total
10.0%
n=3
20.0%
n=6
6.7%
n=2
100%
n=30
* excluding agencies associated with the NoNY Project
Table 4. Frequency of the Predominant Themes From Respondents
Percentage of Times the Themes were Identified in the
Percentage of Responses*
Responses
Satisfied with the finished web site
93%
Satisfied with the student’s interaction with the agency
92%
The web site has increased community awareness of their agency
80%
Interested in learning to maintain the site
73%
Would recommend a non-profit to Pace
96%
*=Respondents report opinions on this experience, inclination, or belief
Assessment of the Students
Students' attitudes on civic engagement are measured by their reflective journals. The
journal is a diary which details the journey that they have taken with their team and community
service partner. Most students have noted that the distinct benefit of the experience has been the
opportunity to apply the concepts learned in the course to a real-life situation. In addition, the
course evaluations submitted by students at the end of the course have indicated that their
experiences in completing the civic learning assignments were quite positive and meaningful. A
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total of 611 students have taken this course. Table 5 shows the distribution of survey
respondents by year.
Table 5. Survey Respondent Distribution
Freshmen
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
26%
20%
19%
35%
Assessment is primarily focused on two factors: (1) The technical skills acquired and
used in the site design and (2) A web site design which has addressed the needs and aspirations
of the client and their respective community as well as the student’s individual contribution to
the team and client. Quizzes and the online discussion board are tools that aid the instructor in
assessing web design principles. The true assessment of success, however, is through the
continuation of their service to others, in need of assistance, after they graduate, and remaining
civically engaged in their community.
V.
Supplemental Materials
Course Materials
To view supplemental materials, including course syllabi, course outline, Web Design
Contract, Web Design Project, Service Learning Journal Entries, Usability Study Template,
Discussion Board Questions, Lab Assignments, Guide to Reflection Reports in Service Learning,
Course Rubrics, Sample Student Work, etc. please visit:
http://csis.pace.edu/servicelearning/webdesign/
References
Lazar, J. & Preece, J. (1999). Designing and implementing web-based surveys. Journal of
Computer Information Systems. 39(4), 63-67.
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Lazar, J. & Preece, J. (1999). Implementing service learning in an online communities course.
Proceedings of the International Academy for Information Management 1999
Conference, 22-27.
Pace University Project Pericles. (n.d.). Retrieved November 14, 2006, from
http://appserv.pace.edu/execute/page.cfm?doc_id=16610